Tom had changed the name from Knights of Walpurgis to Death Eaters, some time ago, due to it sounding "way cooler and scarier".
During one of Hermione's training sessions with Bellatrix, Hermione turned to the younger witch. "Your glorious leader changed the name of his follows from the Knights of Walpurgis to the Death Eaters, because he thinks it sounds cooler."
Bellatrix threw back her head and cackled. She was the only Death Eater who could get away with laughing at their Lord. It helped that she was Hermione's favorite and Tom wouldn't do anything to anger his wife – at least on purpose.
When Voldemort started mounting attacks March of 1970, it was under Hermione's battle plans and it was because of this that there were few casualties.
At the beginning of the war, there was little resistance, but after Dumbledore created the Order of the Phoenix and the Death Eaters started losing some of the skirmishes. There were not enough fighters for them to be called battles, and no one was a soldier, not quite yet.
Bellatrix, under Hermione's tutelage, proved to be a violent force of nature that few could stand against.
A few months after their initial assault, the Death Eaters raided a hidden Ministry cache in the North York Moors. It was here that Hermione joined her husband in the fight. It was one of the few times that she did.
The target was in the center, buried under a Celtic ruin. In teams of two, the Death Eaters charged the sparsely guarded cache.
Bellatrix had been paired with Hermione. Tom found it scary how in sync they were when they fought, even though it had a tendency to happen with wizards who trained together frequently. If he had ever bothered to step into the makeshift infirmary, he would have seen Hermione and Narcissa work with the same level of intensity.
Sturgis Podmore, an Auror who was also in the Order, was unfortunate enough to try and stop them from destroying the wards. "Under Ministry…" Diving to the side to avoid a curse, the Auror was unable to finish his sentence.
"Running away like a baby are we?" Bellatrix cackled, twirling her wand between her fingers.
"Now, now Bella," Hermione sneered. "What else do you expect from Ministry toad?"
"Well, I was hoping for a better fight." The Bellatrix thrust her bottom lip out in a pout.
"Dark Queen!" Lucius shouted. "I've got him, you destroy the wards."
With a quick nod of her head, Hermione quickly turned her attention to the, already crumbling, wards that guarded the goblin gold.
Bellatrix, while able to help with the wards, had been tasked, by Voldemort, with protecting Hermione while she destroyed the wards.
"Got it!" Hermione shouted as she placed a hand on the chest.
In swirls of black smoke, the Death Eaters left the battle. They had not lost a single member in this fight, while the Ministry's forces had been decimated. Podmore was one of the few who survived, and he reported back to Albus what transpired.
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By 1972, not only was the Dark Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters feared, but so was the Dark Lord's mysterious Dark Queen. She was rarely seen in battle, since she was the Death Eaters' healer and dueling instructor.
However, when Hermione did fight, no one was able to stand in her way. She was a force to be reckoned with, she could make the earth shake and was proficient with elemental charms and curses. Her wisps could tear an opponent limb from limb. Hermione and Bellatrix, Voldemort's youngest lieutenant, would tag team and make even the most battle scarred veteran run. With Bellatrix's battle lust and Hermione's black, smokey magic it was not hard to see why.
The Order of the Phoenix could not figure out who the Dark Queen was, and any Death Eater that they managed to capture, seemed more likely to tell where the next planned attacked would take place, than the identity of their Dark Queen. For they did claim her.
After Humphrey Avery had been captured by Dumbledore, Minerva, and Alastor; he spat in their faces. "While we agree with our Dark Lord! You filthy Blood Traitors! We love our Dark Queen! We will die for her! You will never learn her identity!"
Sighing, Alastor handed Minerva a handkerchief to wipe the spittle off her face. They had gotten more information of out this one, but it was next to useless.
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"H. Avery had been captured." Tom sighed, rubbing his forehead. The Death Eaters had all gathered in Nott Manor for their bi-weekly meeting.
Hermione leaned forward. "Out little rat said he died before giving them any information. He defended me, of course."
"What are we going to do?" Lucius nervously asked, he had just received his Mark and was anxious around the woman who his fiancée called 'mum'.
"Fabian and Gideon Prewett." Hermione smirked. "We kill them and burn their house."
"Mum, they're Sacred Twenty-eight." Bellatrix whispered.
Hermione nodded. "They are, but they are also Blood Traitors and need to be blotted out. Besides spilling the blood of an enemy on their land and then cleansing the ground with Fiendfyre is a powerful ritual that I've always wanted to try."
A few of the Death Eaters shifted uncomfortably, Blood Magic was forbidden by the Ministry and practicing it guaranteed you the Kiss. They also had seen their Queen performing Blood Magic, it was not something they ever wanted to see again, especially when one of the side effects of most Blood Magic rituals was an increased libido.
"How do we find the Prewett twins?" Rabastan asked.
It was Hermione's turned to shift uncomfortable. "Ted Tonks is their Secret Keeper."
"Not Andy?" Bellatrix scowled. "Let me guess, they don't want to put such a burden on a weak woman?"
"Quite." Tom chuckled, he didn't differentiate between witches and wizards. Of course, Hermione was the main factor is that.
Bellatrix sighed. "Fine, we'll torture the information out of him, throw a few crucios at Andy…."
"She's pregnant, Bella." Hermione softly stated.
"What?!" Bellatrix exclaimed, jumping to her feet. "Why hasn't she told me?"
"The Order reads her mail, they don't trust her." Tom sighed, meeting had a tendency to go downhill when Bellatrix got riled.
Hermione gently tugged Bellatrix back into her seat. "You'll come with us and threaten to crucio Andy, throw words around like 'Blood Traitor', and 'Filthy Mudblood Seed'. Ted will tells us everything."
"Alright, in two days, your Queen, Bellatrix, Rabastan, Radolphus, Fenrir, and Dolohov will find the Prewett twins." Voldemort ordered. "The rest of you will split into your teams and attack Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley, and the Ministry. I will lead the attack on the Ministry."
Recognizing the dismal, the Death Eaters rose and bowed to their Lord and Queen before leaving.
"Do you need something, Bella?" Tom asked as he made his way over to the liquor cabinet.
"Mum?" Frowning, Bellatrix reached a hand out. "They're getting worse."
"Bella." Hermione gathered the younger witch into her arms and ran her fingers through the other's unruly curls.
Bellatrix's whole body relaxed. "You make them go away."
"We'll have to do a ritual to quiet them soon." Hermione murmured, making eye contact with Tom.
Voldemort nodded, anything for his wife and 'daughter'.